The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 786 Battle of Fushun
A loud blast of cymbals and gongs pierced the sky, and there was a loud rumbling sound on the top of Fushun City. The cannons hidden behind the battlements were ignited by the gunners. The white mist of burning gunpowder instantly submerged the upper and lower walls. The musketeers raised their muskets and fired intensively at the armored personnel carriers who came into range. The crackling sound of the muskets was as dense as the waves, and one wave after another invaded the White Banner formation.

The bondservants who were just strolling leisurely in the garden fell down in unison in the front row as if they were hit by a violent storm.

The surviving cannon fodder instantly grasped their predicament. Every Baoyi present, whether hit or not, who still had a breath left, let out an inhuman howl. Thousands of them screamed and scattered like birds and beasts. The gray mass of people, like the receding tide at night, surged darkly towards the position of the armored soldiers supervising the battle. The armored soldiers at the rear, overwhelmed by the momentum of the defeat, stared blankly at the Baoyi charging towards them. The once strict formation of the Zhenyi masters began to slacken slightly.

At the critical moment, several Niulu Ezhen brandished their swords and shouted, "Stop them! Anyone who retreats will be shot!"

The armored soldiers supervising the battle reacted immediately. They took out their bows, pulled out large arrows from the arrow holders, and without aiming, shot at the fleeing soldiers who were rushing forward.

Some fierce armored soldiers threw flying axes and iron bones forward, harvesting the lives of the baoyi slaves like cutting vegetables and melons. Some baoyi who approached did not even have time to cry out about their tragic fate before they were killed by the long swords and spears of the Jurchen masters in front.

In this way, under the combined attack of artillery on the city wall and the Qing army supervising the battle behind them, the first wave of thousands of baoyi Aha who filled the trenches were quickly wiped out, leaving a pile of gray corpses on the ground. A dozen injured but not dead cannon fodder lay on the ground howling in pain, and a group of crows anxiously pecking at the corpses circled above their heads.

"I didn't expect the Ming army's artillery to be so sharp. It seems that this battle will be difficult to fight." Dorgon stood behind Abatai and expressed some negative emotions from time to time.

"Nikan was so cunning. He tricked the bannermen into coming closer before firing his cannons and muskets. Now wait for my shield cart to arrive. Humph! Just wait and see how I'll deal with you!"

Abatai was ordering the shield carts to speed up when suddenly, amid exclamations, the opposite city gate made a creaking sound and the gate slowly opened. Before Beile Rao Yu could react, the defenders in the city wall began to line up under the city, preparing to engage in a field battle with the Bordered White Banner.

Abatai and Dorgon looked at each other. Obviously, neither of them had expected that this group of Ming troops in Fushun City would be so bold and fearless.

Seeing the well-organized and well-armored enemy, Dorgon knew it would be difficult to deal with. He was about to persuade Abatai to wait and see what would happen, but Rao Yu Beile had already started giving orders:
"Hold the shield carts and ladders still! Have Eqin and Xihan lead two men to the center of the army to receive orders. The armored soldiers on the left and right wings must dismount and put on their armor. The Korean gunners must prepare their firearms!"

Abatai whipped and shouted, and Goshiha took the order and left, waving the small flag desperately while riding his horse.

The two Niulu Ezhen, Ekeqin and Xihan, quickly came before Abatai. Raoyu Beile looked them up and down, then glanced back at Dorgon and said loudly:
"You two will each command two hundred horsemen from the Bordered White Banner to charge forward and break up this Ming army formation. Wu Zhenhachao and the Korean gunners will provide cover fire. The rest of the Bordered White Banner armored soldiers will follow behind the cavalry and advance together to wipe out these reckless Nikans!"

"Qi Meng has been training troops in Liaodong for many years. This Ming army may be difficult to deal with..."

Dorgon tried to stop him, but Abatai pushed him away. "Fourteenth brother, if you're scared, just hide behind me. When I'm fighting, you'll be nowhere to be found!"

Eqin and Xihandu Abatai brought their confidants from Zhenglan Banner. Dorgon saw that he was being sidelined and was still arguing, but the two Niulu Ezhen had already assembled 400 cavalry.

They formed into four lines, each one hundred cavalrymen. Amid the roars of the two Niulu Ezhens, the horsemen calmly gazed at the opposing Ming army. These horsemen were the elite of the Bordered White Banner, each having experienced many fierce battles. Ordinary battles simply did not require the simultaneous use of so many horsemen. Last year, Abatai accompanied Huang Taiji in his campaign against Korea. Thirty horsemen accompanied by fifty or sixty infantrymen were enough to capture a medium-sized Korean city.

If they mobilized four hundred cavalrymen at once and won, it would be fine. But if they lost, the Bordered White Banner would probably be devastated.

Dorgon knew that Huang Taiji intended to weaken him in this attack on the Ming Dynasty. He turned around and whispered a few words to Goshiha beside him, and this confidant immediately took the order and left.

The first row of Jianzhou cavalry ran head-on into the Ming infantry, only to find that they were as immovable as a solid wall of steel.

At this time, the Ming army that went out of the city to fight in the field all held round shields to cover their bodies, and from a distance they looked like a city wall.

The Ming army on the opposite side also had a neat military appearance. The soldiers in the front row were all tall and covered in iron armor from head to toe, or simply their entire bodies were stuffed into an iron shell.

From Ekeqin's perspective, the Ming soldiers in the front row all wore iron masks and iron skirts, wielded broadswords, and strapped bows and muskets to their backs. Furthermore, the iron masks, revealing only their eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, were painted in colorful, ghostly shapes. Standing there in rows, they looked exactly like shamans offering sacrifices to the gods, a sight that was uncanny.

(End of this chapter)